Pokémon: The Chosen Chronicles
by Trainman-Captain Writer
Summary: What started as a regular day in Alola, leads Ash Ketchum, along with his friends and family, on a heart-pounding adventure that has been over a thousand years in the making! With the Armor of Arceus, Ash and his friends must prepare for what awaits them in the coming year; but as old and new friends meet, emotions run high, and relationships are made, will they survive?
1. Prologue: Shocks for Everyone

**Pokémon: The Chosen Chronicles**

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Authors Note: unfortunately, I do not own the rights or title to Pokémon.

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**Summary:**

What started as a regular day in Alola, leads Ash Ketchum, along with his friends and family, on a heart-pounding adventure that has been over a thousand years in the making!

An event known to the Legendary Pokémon of the world called the Great Catalyst is approaching the Pokémon world and the Chosen One is needed to help guide both people and Pokémon through the oncoming event. With the assistance of The Armor of Arceus, a special armor imbued with the power of the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus, Ash and his friends must overcome the odds, fight against insidious criminal organizations, and learn all they can to prepare themselves for the event.

Will Ash, Pikachu, and all of their friends succeed or will the world crumble under the power of darkness and corruption?

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_Prologue: Shocks for Everyone_

_"Dearest Mother, I apologize for not writing to you and Father sooner, but things have been exhausting these past few weeks and it is only now, after everything that has happened, that I found time to write to you._

_"As you have read in my last letter, the situation in Rota and Cameran Palace seemed grim. The invading army has laid siege amongst the smaller settlements, plundering the innocent people of Rota of all their food and resources to make their armadas stronger. Those who escaped the carnage managed to find refuge within the Palace, where Queen Rin had ordered for food and clothing be distributed throughout the masses as well as proper bedding for the poor souls to sleep on._

_"However, her majesty's army, despite their best efforts, were being pushed back by the invaders and it seemed as if the conflict would reach the palace gates soon. In preparation for the coming battle, I was assigned to construct the armors for both the soldiers and their Pokémon. For days I worked, never resting, within my forge, shaping and pounding the metal until it came out perfect for our troops._

_"While I detest violence, which you rightly know, there was a moment where I almost forgot my feelings for war when her majesty's personal guardian, Sir Aaron, came to my shop, with his faithful protégé, Lucario, following behind him, sought my skills and requested that I construct a new set of armor. You can imagine how honored I was to construct something for the famed Aura Guardian of Rota._

_"Alas, as I had just started making the cuirass_—_the part of the armor that would protect a soldier's front and back—the queen's sentries returned with grim news: the invaders were approaching the palace. The queen immediately ordered her soldiers and their Pokémon to prepare for the coming conflict, while the rest of us were ushered into the castle._

_"I will not lie. I was frightened, along with everyone else within the castle. Even the queen seemed frightened, even as she tried to reassure us that everything would be fine. I…am ashamed to admit that I doubted her words. I panicked, believing that we were all going to be destroyed by the invading horde that marched towards the front gates of the castle, and somehow got into a fight with one of the queen's servants. They quickly overpowered me and tossed me into the dungeon. I sat there, in that small, cold room, panic shivering down my body, and I prayed to Arceus above that we would be spared from our horrific fate._

_"And then…a miracle. As the two armies clashed, the fate of all of our lives hanging in the balance, something happened. I do not know how, but the fighting just stopped. The armies laid their weapons down, the Pokémon shed their armor, and not a single life was lost…_

_"…That was, until the Queen announce to her people that her guardian, the brave Sir Aaron and his trusted student and friend, were gone. That they gave their lives to finally end the conflict between the two forces. That they had died a hero's death._

_"Although you and Father have taught me that all life ends eventually, I cannot help but feel saddened by the loss of two of the greatest heroes the world has ever known. It saddens me more due to the fact that I have the beginnings of Sir Aaron's armor in my forge. If I had just finished it sooner, perhaps…_

_"I do not know what I should do with it. If it were any other piece, I would just melt it down for my next project but at the same time…it doesn't feel right to destroy something that was meant to belong to the Hero of Rota._

_"I have recently moved my shop to one of the villages that reside at the base of Mount Moon. The natural metals surrounding and within the mountain provide me with plenty of iron to work with. I am also happy to say that it is much closer to Pewter City, so I'll be able to visit you more frequently at your home._

_"Please tell Father that I am doing well and not to stress himself building his newest endeavor. While I understand his need to feel secure and to be ready should something like what had occurred in Rota happen in Pewter City, I do not want him to collapse from exhaustion while constructing his new training facility._

_"Looking forward to seeing you and my siblings this coming holiday._

_"Your dear son, Augustus Stone."_

Placing the quill back in the inkwell, Augustus paused for a moment before leaning back in his chair and stretched his arms and legs as far as they could. In spite of his tall stature the desk and chair that sat off to the side of his forge was very small, which meant that he felt very cramped whenever he spends more than five minutes sitting there.

Standing well over six-feet in height, thirty-two-year-old Augustus had thick brown hair that seemed to spike no matter how much he tried to groom it. Wearing a blacksmith's apron over his weekday clothes, one could easily make out the muscles that he had, toned from years of working as a blacksmith.

As he finished stretching, Augustus took the letter he had just written and perused the words very carefully until he nodded in satisfaction. After folding the paper and placing it in an envelope, the man walked out of his forge and into the outside world. Despite the sun shining high over his head, due to the elevation and all the rain over the past few days, the surrounding lands were very chilly.

Taking a moment to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature, the Augustus walked to the small stone fence that surrounded the front of his property, particularly where a large avian Pokémon was perched. The bird seemed to be relaxing under the sun's rays, its brown plumage and its red-and-yellow crest glistening under the bright light, while its eyes were shut. As the man approached, though, the bird opened its black eyes.

"Pidgeot, can you please deliver this to my family?" Augustus asked, holding the envelope out to the bird.

With a simple nod of its head, the large Bird Pokémon grabbed the envelop with its beak before extending its wings. After gently flapping them a few times, making certain to stretch its muscles before takeoff, Pidgeot soon flew high in the air. Taking a few laps around Augustus' property the Bird Pokémon then took off in a straight line towards the Stone family residence in Pewter City.

Augustus watched as his faithful friend soared in the air and began heading south towards his family's home until the large bird was nothing more than a speck in the sky. When his Pidgeot disappear completely, Augustus then walked back towards his work area, intending to sit-down by the burner until he could feel his hands regain their warmth. As he entered the building, welcoming the sudden shift from cold to warm, his eyes caught sight of the incomplete armor that hung on the mannequin.

Although incomplete, Sir Aaron's armor was of the finest quality. Rather than iron, the Hero of Rota had insisted that the entire suit be made out of steel, which had stunned Augustus. While he knew that steel was much stronger than iron and would be much easier to shape when heated it was much more difficult and expensive to manufacture than iron. Yet Sir Aaron was adamant when he ordered that the armor be made entirely out of steel and explained that he would reimburse Augustus for the materials and the amount of labor that would be put into the project, so Augustus agreed to the task.

Looking at the armor, Augustus' eyes wandered from the shiny steel surface to the colored areas along the seams and front of the armor. As he looked at them, Augustus couldn't help but feel a bit baffled. When he had agreed to design the armor, Sir Aaron asked him to accent it with bright-toned colors that seemed to contrast with his usual outfit. Whereas the Hero of Rota' garments were mostly dark blue with some earth-toned colors, the armor was mostly bare save for the thin outline of light blue followed by a much brighter red outline.

As his attention was now focused on the peculiar details of the armor, Augustus' turned his eyes towards the armor's chest area, more specifically the strange crest on it. When Sir Aaron asked him to design the armor, he was very particular about what the crest on the armor should look like:

"The crest for the armor, rather than Lady Rin's official coat of arms, shall look almost like the sun—a small sphere surrounded by exactly eighteen diamonds, each diamond perfectly distanced from each other."

Augustus had been curious about this particular feature for the armor but before he could ask the Aura Guardian and his protégé had left his workshop. During the final days before the battle, Augustus worked tirelessly on the armor to the Hero's exact qualifications, pounding the molten steel until it had formed into the exact shape that he wanted it, curving and shaping the structure until it was perfect, and—the night before the final conflict—he branded the armor with the requested image, a single sphere surrounded by eighteen elongated diamonds that were perfectly spaced from each other.

Now, as he gazed at the incomplete armor, tracing his fingers along the outline of one of the diamonds, Augustus could only wonder what Sir Aaron intended to do with the armor once it was completed.

Just then, a voice behind him spoke: "So when shall that armor of yours be completed?"

Jumping in fright, the blacksmith spun around to face a beautiful woman of his age, long ebony curls cascaded from her head all the way to the small of her back and wearing a simple outfit the same color as her forest green eyes, which were looking at the startled man with amusement.

"Ah…Helena." Augustus said, relaxing at the sight of his beloved wife. "You startled me, milady."

His wife gave him a cheeky smile. "What's the matter. Can my darling husband not handle being startled once in a while by his own wife?"

"Oh, I think he can." Augustus said, a devilish smile beginning to appear on his face. He suddenly approached Helena and wrapped his arms around her waist before lifting her up and swiping her off her feet. As his spouse wrapped her arms around his next instinctively, he gazed straight into her stunned eyes, his own eyes displaying amusement. "What say you, o dearest wife? Can you handle being startled by your husband?"

Helena pretended to ponder his question for a second before smiling at him. "Oh…I suppose I could." she said, before pulling herself up towards her love to steal a kiss.

They stayed in each other's embrace for several seconds before parting. As they lingered, Helena eventually broke the silence. "So, why have you not completed that armor you were working on?"

Sighing, Augustus pulled his wife back to her feet. "It's complicated."

Helena gave him a quizzical look. "Really? It seems pretty straight forward if you ask me. All that's left is to construct the armor's arms, legs and the helmet—"

Augustus chuckled at his wife's attempt at humor. "That's not what I meant, though I do appreciate you lifting my spirits."

Smiling, his wife asked, "Then what is it?"

Looking at his wife's eyes and seeing her concern, Augustus sighed before telling her about how Sir Aaron had commissioned him to construct the armor just before his demise. "It just seems such a waste to construct the armor now knowing that its intended owner will never get the chance to use it."

For her part, Helena remained silent as her spouse recounted the tale with her. When he finished, she threw a glance at the armor before getting a thoughtful look on her face. "Are you sure that the armor was meant for Sir Aaron?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have only meet Sir Aaron once, maybe twice, but from what I can tell this armor doesn't seem to fit his usual style. His clothes were more earth-tone and subtle; this armor is a bit more…colorful than what he might wear." Placing her left hand on her chin, Helena added, "Besides, the armor seems a bit smaller than Sir Aaron."

Augustus considered her words. Now that she mentions it, the armor was a bit small for the Aura Guardian to of worn, though not by much. Following that line of thought with the armor's unusual coloring and strange crest, it seemed more likely that this armor was meant to be worn by someone else.

"Perhaps…but if that were indeed the case who was this armor supposed to go to if not for the Hero of Rota?" he said.

Before Helena could even open her mouth a sudden flash of light caught both of their attentions. Running out of the shop the couple were greeted by an incredible sight.

An aurora of light hovered over their property, before a hole begun to form in the center of the event. As the couple shielded their eyes with their hands, they saw a being float out of the hole and hovered over them. When the light's intensity began to diminish, the couple uncovered their eyes only to be shocked by what floated above them.

The being was a white equine resembling a qilin or centaur with a gray, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern had similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail, and face. Its four-pointed feet were tipped with gold hooves. Its long mane jutted away from its head, and its face was gray, with green eyes and red pupils, and a green circular pattern below its eyes. The being also had a streak of gold coloration on its head, with ears that pointed upward. Its neck was fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that was colored white like much of the body. There was also a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen, with four jewels attached to it. The limbs on the creature had gray undersides and extrusions at the top of the legs. Finally, the creature possessed a tail that was shaped similar to its head and was of the same coloration.

Both Augustus and Helena immediately kneeled to the ground and bowed their heads. For the being hovering over them was their world's creator: the Legendary Alpha Pokémon, Arceus.

The large Pokémon looked down at the two humans below it and surprised the two when it telepathically spoke:

"Augustus Stone, famed blacksmith of the Northern Kanto Region, who hailed from Pewter City. I believe that you have yet to finish something that I required."

Stricken with both fear and confusion, the smith lifted his head until his eyes met those of the Pokémon's. "Great Lord Arceus, creator of our world and of both humans and Pokémon…forgive me for asking but…what is it that you believe I possess?"

The Alpha Pokémon lowered itself down until it was only a few inches off the ground. Looking directly at the blacksmith, Arceus once again addressed the man.

Its response was one that took Augustus completely by surprise.

"Do you not possess the armor that Sir Aaron had ordered you to make on my behalf?"

* * *

**(Present Day, Alola Region, Melemele Island)**

Any other day when Ashton "Ash" Ketchum went to the Alolan Conservatory for Pokémon and Learning, popularly dubbed the "Pokémon School" by himself and his friends, he would be bouncing at his desk, eager for whatever activities they would be doing that day before having lunch and then hanging out with his friends and their Pokémon.

But today was not one of those days.

Today a guest lecturer was attending the class and everyone had their backs against their chairs and sat up straight, aptly paying attention to the man as he spoke—everyone, that is, except Ash. And the reason why he was not listening to their guest was because the person was discussing a topic that was very familiar to him: the Legendary Pokémon of the world.

Normally, when people talk about the mystical Legendaries that wander their globe they usually capture everyone else's attention. After all, most people have never meet these great beings of power and very lucky few ever get to catch a glimpse of one.

But Ash, having traveled across six major regions and two major island chains, has had the privilege of not just catching a glimpse of a single Legendary but several dozen—from the Legendary Bird Trio that were mostly spotted across his home region of Kanto, to the ancient Weather Trio that reside mostly in Hoenn, to even having meet Arceus, the Pokémon that was said to have created the _entire_ Pokémon world. And he's not just seen them either, he's actually touched them, interacted with them, even got to ride on the backs of some Legendaries. He's had more interaction with these creatures that some people worship as gods than almost anyone in history.

And their guest lecturer was just spouting pure _nonsense_. Not every Legendary was the only one of its kind, he's meet two Lugia who were mother and son and several species of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres while traveling across the regions to prove that. No, despite its appearance, Celebi was not a Fairy-type. And, no, Manaphy didn't evolve from Phione, but Phione do come from Manaphy.

As the man continued speaking, the young Kanto native looked down at his ever-present partner, Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was leaning against the side of his desk and seemed just as bored as his human partner was. He had been with Ash since the beginning and has not only faced the Legendary Pokémon of the world but has actually battled some of them. Heck, since coming to Alola the Electric-type has met and battled against Tapu Koko, one of the guardian deities that watch over the Alola region, several times. And now listening to another human, who claims to be a _researcher_ in Legendary Pokémon, basically telling the entire class and their Pokémon partners nothing but garbage…

Their guest should be grateful that the Mouse didn't unleash a Thunderbolt at them for basically lying to his friends.

"Well...thank you so much for that..._erm_...presentation." Professor James Kukui, a man in his late thirties to early forties and almost always seen wearing a white baseball cap, said to their guest speaker before leading them out the door. As both Pikachu and Ash watched, the Professor sighed after the door had shut and raised a hand to his head, as if trying to massage a headache. Apparently they weren't the only ones who were annoyed by their guest's presentation.

A moment later the large bell that rested atop the Pokémon School rang, indicating that class time has end for the day. "Alright, class, you all go out and have a great rest of your day. See you tomorrow." Professor Kukui announced, giving everyone a brief smile.

Immediately, both Ash and Pikachu ran out of the classroom, eager to have lunch with their friends and find something that'll help them recover from their lecture.

Minutes later the two sat with their friends as they enjoyed their lunch under the shade of a large oak tree. As he took a bite out of his sandwich, Ash took a moment to gaze at all of his friends and their Pokémon.

First off was his friend Lillian "Lillie" Mohn, a young girl around his age who was mostly seen wearing a white dress and a sun hat on top of her head. She was incredibly knowledgeable in anything and everything Pokémon though for some reason she seemed incredibly fearful of Pokémon. However, thanks to him and their friends, she had slowly been conquering her fear, now able to interact and touch Pikachu and her Alolan Vulpix Snowy. He watched as Lillie took a careful bite out of the food that her butler, Hobbes, made for her, and the white colored Fox Pokémon mimicking her trainer's manners while eating her Pokémon food.

Next, sitting on a small boulder while enjoying some rice balls wrapped in seaweed, was Kiawe Firestone, a dark-skinned young man who was a year older than him and was hardly ever seen wearing a shirt except for special occasions. Despite his somewhat-gruff demeanor, Kiawe was a really good friend who was very knowledgeable about Pokémon battles and Z-moves (something that, before Ash came to Alolan, he didn't even know existed) and actually pretty friendly after getting to know him. Standing next to him, leaning his long neck down to calmly gobble up the Pokémon food in front of him was Kiawe's Tortunator, a Fire/Dragon Pokémon that looked like a cross between a large turtle and a dragon. Despite his intimidating appearance the Blast Turtle Pokémon was just as friendly as his Trainer.

The next person, sitting down on the soft grass, was Mallow Branch, a green-haired youth about Lillie's age with a large rose-pink flower nestled in her green locks of hair. An upbeat and energetic individual, Mallow grew up in her dad's restaurant and learned how to be quite the cook, even becoming the poster girl for their family's restaurant. As she was cheerfully sipping her soup, her Pokémon partner Steenee was also chewing on some fresh daikons that had arrived from Poni Island just the other day.

Then there was Lana Rigel, who choose to sit opposite of Mallow, eating a bag of berries which she shared with her partner Popplio. She was a calm and gentle girl similar to both Mallow's and Lillie's age though she has had her moments where she could be quite the trickster and can weave a tall-tale that would put the heights of the various Alolan Exeggutor to shame. Ash smiled as he recalled the blue-haired girl's stories of how she hooked the Legendary Kyogre or how there was a Lugia living near Melemele Island, honestly believing her at first before she revealed the truth. Sure, the likelihood of anyone managing to hook a giant beast like Kyogre or having spotted a Lugia in way too warmer waters was very small but given his own previous adventures it wasn't impossible.

Last but not least, leaning against the tree, was Sophocles Rai. About the same age as Kiawe, Sophocles was an intelligent individual who possessed a passion for creating inventions that he hoped would one day help both people and Pokémon. Although he may sometimes get too absorbed into his technological activities, Sophocles is very friendly and cares greatly for both his friends and their Pokémon. Ash held back a smirk as, while Sophocles took a large bite out of his burger, his friend's Togedemaru snuck a few fries from her Trainer's lunch bag and began to shove them into her mouth.

"So, Ash," Startled, the Kanto native turned his head towards the source of the voice: Lillie. "What'd you think about the lecture we had today?"

This caught Ash a bit off guard and managed to grab the attention of the rest of the group. The fifteen-year-old Trainer looked down at his partner Pokémon, unsure exactly what to say. However it seemed that his best friend was just as stunned by the question, as it stopped eating his food and gave Ash a frown and a shrug.

Well, he figured that he might as well be honest, though he'll try to be a bit subtle. "Well...it was certainly _something_." he said.

Kiawe grunted at that response. "That's putting it mildly. That person didn't know what they were talking about at all."

"Really?" Mallow asked, putting her soup down for a moment. "I thought that some of what they said was pretty interesting. I mean, that stuff about Celebi did make a lot of sense."

"Nah," Ash said, quickly correcting his friend. "Celebi may look like a Fairy-type but looks can be deceiving. Take a look at Tortunator"—pointing at Kiawe's partner, who looked up from his meal—"based on his appearance someone might call him a Rock, Ground, or even a Poison-type, but we all know that isn't true at all."

Surprised by Ash's statement, Kiawe nodded. "That's right. Or a Charizard: looking at them, a person who didn't know better would've said that they were a Dragon-type, when really it's a Fire and Flying-type."

"What about that stuff about the Legendaries being born at the same time?" Sophocles asked before taking another bite out of his burger. "Aren't most of them really old?"

"Well, I don't know about most of them," Ash commented, his mind traveling to an instance where he witnessed the hatching of a Legendary Pokémon. "I know during my travels that some new Legendaries were discovered. And you remember when that speaker was talking about Phione and Manaphy?"

"Yeah." Sophocles said.

"Well, while it's not true that Manaphy evolve from Phione, Phione do come from Manaphy."

"No way!" exclaimed Lana, who considered herself a specialist on Water Pokémon. "I didn't even know that. How do you know that?"

"During my travels through Sinnoh, me and my friends, Brock and Dawn, took an underwater sightseeing ride on a submarine and got to see some Phione up close." As he recalled the event to his mind, Ash suddenly turned to his partner and grinned evilly. The Mouse Pokémon began to sweat when he saw his friend's face like that. "Now that I think about it, it was during that time that one of them actually tried to battle Pikachu."

This caught everyone's attention, while the poor Mouse suddenly froze as he also remembered the exact circumstances that lead to that fiasco…

Or more specifically _whom_.

"Why did a Phione try to battle Pikachu?" It was Mallow who asked the burning question that was now on everyone else's minds. Why would a Legendary Pokémon want to pick a fight with Pikachu? Granted, they knew that the Electric-type has faced Tapu Koko on a few occasions but from Ash's words this time was completely different.

The Electric-type looked at his Trainer and pleaded with his eyes, trying to communicate to his friend not to say anything.

But his pleas fell on deaf ears (and eyes). "Well, one of the Phione saw Dawn's Buneary and was instantly smitten. However, it got jealous when it was clear that Buneary had her focus set on Pikachu." Ash said, a smirk clear on his face. He knew that his best friend would probably get back at him for this when he would least expect it but he figured it was worth it. After all, the mental image of Pikachu standing there, shocked by his Trainer's admittance, with his jaw hanging out and a large sweat drop forming on the right side of his face was _priceless_.

"What?!" exclaimed the humans, now looking at the yellow mouse with disbelieve.

Pikachu began sweating like crazy, rubbing the back of his head, and trying not to look at any of the humans or Pokémon now looking at him. The situation didn't get better when the females began cooing and gushing at how cute it was that he had a "girlfriend". _How many times do I have to say it_, the Electric-type thought. _She's not my girlfriend!_ As he tried to recover, he shot a look at Ash that basically told him that he'll have his revenge.

After all, unlike Ash, he's not entirely dense when it comes to females—whether it be Pokémon or human. And he definitely noticed the way several female humans, especially their female traveling companions, acted around his Trainer. _Perhaps next time I see Team Rocket's Meowth I'll get him to translate for me. Then we'll see how you like having the shoe on the other foot, Ash._

As everyone's minds were finally shifting from the weird lecture, Ash released a happy sigh and looked up in the sky. Although he would never admit it, while traveling around the world, battling Gym Leaders, and occasionally helping the Legendary Pokémon of the world was both exciting and fun, he actually enjoyed the relative peace and quiet that seemed to surround the entire region. For once, he and Pikachu were not really in a hurry, content for the moment to just relax amongst his friends and Pokémon. Oh sure, he knew that that it wasn't forever—after all he wouldn't become the Greatest Pokémon Master in the world if he acted like Arnold Alder, the _eccentric_ Champion of the Unova League who seemed to prefer flirting with every girl he considered attractive and sleeping during a Pokémon battle—but for the moment he was fine with taking a break from his journey and hang out with his friends and their Pokémon.

It was at that moment, as the entire gang began to get back to their lunches, that both Ash and Pikachu suddenly felt a strong breeze brush by them and a tingle roll up their spines.

"Are you two okay?" Lillie asked, noticing that both Ash and Pikachu suddenly began shivering. "You not catching a cold are you?"

"We're fine," Ash said, trying to allay his friend's worries. He could already feel the shivers beginning to disappear. Looking down at his partner he asked, "Right buddy?"

"Pika." the Electric-type nodded his head, also feeling the tingling along his spine disappearing.

Lillie contemplated this for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and resumed eating her meal. However, she missed the shared look between both Ash and Pikachu, both of them wondering the same thing:

_What was that?_

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

The calm beaches just outside of Hau'oli City were usually pretty serene during the mid-afternoon, as the majority of people would often head home in preparation for the evening. This meant that, outside of some Water Pokémon like Krabby, Clauncher, Pyukumuku, or the occasional Sandygast or Wimpod, the area was usually quiet and undisturbed.

However, this was not a usual day at the beach.

A lone Wimpod wondered on the beach, searching for a small cave or crevice to make shelter for the upcoming night, when he noticed something laying less than a foot from where the waves splashed against the sand. Approaching slowly, it took the Turn Tail Pokémon a moment before realizing that it was actually a small Pokémon laying face down in the sands. Quickly making its way over to the Pokémon, the Water and Bug-type quickly checked it over for any injuries and was relieved to find none, though the Pokémon was out cold and it seemed that it wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

It was a strange Pokémon, in the Wimpod's opinion. Several of its features were similar to that of a Lycanroc that it's seen hanging around, though this Pokémon's fur was blue rather than that Lycanroc's golden fur. Its legs and torso were black, a blue tail that angled a bit at the end, and seemed to have a yellow collar. Rounded bumps covered the backs of its forepaws and two black appendages hung from its head. Judging by the it's paws and legs this Pokémon seemed to be some sort of Fighting-type.

Suddenly the Wimpod heard the creature moan. Jumping back slightly, the Water and Bug-type watched as the strange Pokémon lifted its head out of the sand. Now that its face was no longer facing down, the Turn Tail Pokémon noticed that it had more black fur covering its eyes and the top of its nose. Edging slightly closer, the Wimpod look up at the Pokémon's face when it suddenly opened its eyes revealing dark red orbs.

For a moment neither Pokémon moved and just stared at each other. However, the blue canine decided break the silence and gently greeted the Wimpod. "Ri-Riolu."

The Wimpod, acting on pure instinct, immediately took off away from the strange Pokémon. It raced across the beach until it found shelter underneath a pile of rocks, never looking back at the blue canine.

Riolu stayed where he was, ultimately confused by the Water and Bug-type's behavior before getting up and shaking his fur until all the sand and sea water was off. Once he was satisfied that his fur was clean and dry, the Emanation Pokémon lifted his right paw and a small sphere of Aura began to appear and his appendages began to rise up. Closing his eyes, he focused his Aura before he began to sense his surroundings. As he examined his surroundings through his Aura, Riolu suddenly sensed two particular Aura signatures and focused on them. After a few seconds the small, canine Pokémon opened his eyes and grinned.

Wasting no time, the small, blue canine began running in the direction of the two signatures.

* * *

**Hey guys, long time no see. I'm sorry for the long hiatus but I've been pretty busy with college that I've been mostly focusing my energy on it. Though now, having graduated, I am now going to try and get back into the swing of things and write-both on FanFiction and in the real world. Though I can't guarantee that I'll be updating weekly or monthly like some writers, I'll try and post as soon as I can.**

**Also, if anyone is asking me about my other submissions, I don't know when I'll start writing new chapters for them. Probably won't be for a while as I start getting back to writing on FanFiction. Still, I'll try and see if I can start updating my other stories on here-emphasis on _try_.**

**Thank you all and I hope you all have a wonderful night.**

**Trainman-Captain Writer**


	2. Chapter 1: Family and Friends

**Pokémon: The Chosen Chronicles**

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Authors Note: unfortunately, I do not own the rights or title to Pokémon

* * *

_Chapter 1: Family and Friends_

The young man stood on the other side of the battlefield, his mind trying to think of a strategy that would help him overcome the being in front of him and his Butterfree, before calling out to his friend. "Butterfree try confusing that thing with Supersonic."

The Butterfly Pokémon nodded its head before opening its mouth and releasing several high pitch squeals at its opponent, but unfortunately it's opponent and his Trainer were ready.

"Geodude use Dig." Forrest Harrison, the leader of the Pewter City Gym, ordered. The Rock Pokémon cried out before tunneling into the field and disappeared. As the tiny Butterfly Pokémon looked around in search of its opponent, the gray boulder suddenly burst from underneath it and slammed his right fist into the Bug-type's side.

"Butterfree!" the challenger cried out, watching as his friend hit the floor, its stamina completely spent.

"Butterfree is no longer able to battle. The winner of this match is Gym Leader Forrest and Geodude." Brock Harrison, Forrest's eldest brother and former Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym, announced, gesturing his brother's victory with a wave of his hand.

"Great job, Geodude." complimented Forrest, the Rock Pokémon turning his entire body towards his Trainer's brother and beamed, accepting the compliment with pride. Smiling at his older brother's Pokémon for a moment, Forrest looked at his challenger, who held his Butterfree and looked crestfallen.

After a few seconds of silence, Forrest spoke. "Hey, don't look so down. You both did a great job."

"But we lost." The young challenger said, his attention more focused on his Bug-type, who had begun to wake up.

Brock, who had exited the referee's box, came up and knelt down towards both Trainer and Pokémon. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out an Oran Berry and held it up to the purple butterfly. "Here, eat this." he said.

Still weak from the battle, the Butterfree opened its mouth and accepted the Berry, chewing softly. Instantly, the Berry's healing properties began to affect the Bug-type and the Butterfly Pokémon's demeanor instantly brightened. Giving the Berry's healing effects a few seconds, Butterfree slowly began to flap its wings. The young man, keeping a close eye on his friend, slowly released his grip around the purple Pokémon's body and smiled as it began to fly around the Gym.

So focused on his Pokémon, the Trainer almost missed the Gym Leader's next words. "You may have lost the battle today but I'm confident that with a bit more time and training both of you will be able to succeed." Forrest said.

Looking up at the pre-teen in front of him, the Trainer, whose eyes sparkled with hope, asked, "Really? You think so?"

"I don't _think_. I _know_. Train a little bit more and then come back for a rematch. But remember, I won't hold back when we battle again."

"And neither will we!" the Trainer said, with a fire in his eyes. His Butterfree flew next to him and, both Harrisons noticed, had the same look in its eyes as its Trainer's.

After both the Trainer and the Butterfree left, Forrest turned towards his eldest sibling. "Not bad, huh?"

Brock chuckled. "Not bad at all. You've really come a long way from the eight-year-old boy who began training to become the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"Thanks, Brocko." The pre-teen said. Both Harrisons then left the Gym and began making their way towards their home which was located about fifty feet from the Gym. As they walked down the path connecting the two buildings, the younger Harrison looked up at his brother. "So how are you doing with your studies?" he asked.

After returning from his adventures in Sinnoh, Brock decided to become a Pokémon Doctor and began studying at Pewter City's Community College the past two years with plans to transfer to the University of Kanto in Vermillion City for another four years after this semester was over.

His brother frowned at his younger sibling. "I'm not saying."

Surprised, Forrest turned his attention away from his brother, nervous. "Oh-ah…I'm a—that is—" Suddenly, his older brother grabbed his head and gave him a playful noogie. Startled, he quickly pulled himself away from his brother and noticed the large smirk on his face.

"Gotcha," his brother said, barely holding back the chuckles that threatened to escape from his throat.

"Very funny," huffed the younger Harrison, pouting that his brother pulled one over him.

Brock put his right arm around Forrest, the large grin still on his face. "Ah, just teasing ya." he said. "But to answer you question, I've been doing pretty well with my studies. Believe it or not, a lot of this stuff I already knew thanks to my experience as a Breeder and traveling with Ash."

Forrest smiled. "I'm not surprised. I'll bet you that you'll become a famous Pokémon Doctor in no time, at the rate you're going."

"Thanks for the support, Forrest." Both brothers were just a few feet from the front door of their home when they spotted their father coming out of the building. "Hey Dad!"

Flint Harrison looked to see his two oldest children approaching and a smile formed on his face. "Ah, hello boys. How'd the battle go?"

"It was great, Dad." Forrest said, excitement in his voice. "It was so close, it looked as if the battle could go either way but eventually Geodude managed to come out on top."

Flint's smile turned into a grin and, like Brock did earlier, put his arm around the pre-teen. "That's my boy. You do your family proud. Heck, with how much training you've been doing lately, you'd probably give your old man a run for his money."

"Really?!" Forrest exclaimed, his eyes rising at the thought.

"Absolutely." His father said, pride in his voice. After a few seconds he looked at his two oldest and asked them if they were going to do anything now that the battle is over.

Thinking about it for a moment, both Harrisons shook their heads. "No, I don't think so. Why?" Brock asked.

His father explained that their mother had gotten a call from the Pewter Museum of Science and History. One of the curators had made a recent discovery and had asked their mother to come see it. Thirty minutes after she left, she called her husband and ask him to come over. "You two want to join me?"

Both brothers looked at each other for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, why not." Brock said.

Fifteen minutes later, the three Harrisons reached the museum. Two-stories tall and more than the length of a football field, the building's white granite surface gleamed in the sunlight. The first floor displayed various examples of fossils and geologic finds that date back millions of years, with complete skeletons of Kabuto, Omanyte, and an Aerodactyl located at the floor's center. Then, on the second floor the displays showcased more recent scientific endeavors as well as events that revolved around Pewter City's history and famous figures, including an exhibit on a famous Pewter City resident who had been one of the first humans to have landed on the moon. On the east side of the building an extension was made for the various personnel and scientists that worked at the museum.

Entering through the extension's door, the men were greeted by one of the personnel and were lead to the back of the building. Waiting patiently for them was Lola Harrison.

The boy's mother smiled brightly when she saw all three of them. "Well, this is a surprise."

"Hi Mom." greeted the two boys.

Lola quickly approached her two oldest children and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek before giving their father a quick kiss on the lips. Forrest cringed at his parent's actions while Brock chuckled at his younger sibling and gently hit his elbow against his brother's ribcage in a joking manner. It was no secret to Brock that Forrest had been interested in girls and how to talk to them since he was ten yet he still wasn't used to the idea of kissing a girl on the lips.

As she pulled away from her husband, a small giggle escaped from Lola's lips. "Oh, Forrest, there's nothing wrong with me kissing your father." she said, having witnessed her child's facial expression.

"Mom!" the boy cried out, red from embarrassment.

Brock, taking pity on his younger brother, decided to change the subject. "So, Mom, can you tell us why we're here?"

"Oh, right. Well, I'm sure your father already told you but I had received a call from the museum. Apparently they made some sort of discovery that had to do with our family."

"Our family?" the Harrison kids asked, confusion clear on their faces. When they looked at their father he also had a surprised look on his face. Apparently, he didn't know about this part.

"Indeed," said a voice. Everyone's heads turned towards a tall scientist in a lab coat. He had orange-brownish hair that spiked up in several areas, several patches of peach-fuzz on his chin, and a pair of large glasses.

Brock was stunned for a moment as he recognized the man in front of them. "Seymour? Is that you?"

The man in the lab coat smiled at the eldest Harrison child. "Hello, Brock. It's great to see you again."

"Wait a minute, Brock you know this guy?" Forrest asked, looking up at his brother.

"Yeah. The day after I left on my journey to become the world's best Pokémon Breeder me, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu ran into him at the base of Mount Moon."

"Ah, yes. A day I remember quite well. Your brother and his friend's saved me from a group of crazed Zubat and then helped me and a group of Clefairy save their Moon Stone from a group of thieves." the scientist recalled, his eyes closed and his left hand holding his chin as he remembered the event from long ago.

Forrest was shocked before he turned his gaze up towards his older sibling in excitement. "Wow! Brock you were a hero!?"

"Ah, it was nothing." Brock said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh I disagree, Brock." Seymour said, his eyes now open and serious. "If it weren't for you and your friends, I would've been severely injured or worse. Make no mistake, while Zubat generally don't harm humans in the wild they were so agitated by those thieves efforts to gain possession of the Moon Stone that they were not thinking clearly and could've done something much worse than attack me with Supersonic or Wing Attack. I was very lucky that you three ran into me when you did."

Brock looked at the scientist before nodding his head in acceptance. He knew that Seymour was right and that the whole situation could've been much worse for the man. Still, while he appreciated the man's words, it was still a bit embarrassing for both his brother and Seymour to look at him like he was a superhero or something.

Flint and Lola, for their parts, were surprised by this account but decided that they'll ask Brock about his adventure later. "Sorry to interrupt but could we please get back to the matter at hand?" the boys' father asked.

"Of course. Follow me, please." the scientist said and began to lead the group through the building.

As they walked, Seymour explained that back when he meet Brock and his friends he was commissioned by the Pewter Museum to study Mount Moon, the Pokémon who inhabited the mountain, and search for any clues to regarding the Clefairy, the giant Moon Stone, and if there was any truth to the theory that Pokémon had come from outer space.

"Over the past five years I've made some progress with my research and have even made a few small discoveries, like locating the breeding grounds for the Clefairy and Clefable. However, just last week, while I was hiking on the north side of the mountain, I discovered an abandoned house and workshop covered in what was probably a few hundred years worth of shrubs and branches. After clearing a path and entering the buildings, I discovered that it was once the home to Augustus Stone."

This instantly caught the male Harrisons' attention. "Did you say _Augustus Stone?!_ As in the son of Sir Francis Stone?!" Brock asked, excitement in his voice.

Sir Francis Stone, originally a knight from Cameron Palace, came to Pewter City after he was honorably discharged from his service due to losing his left leg in battle. Years later he had married and had several children, one of them being Augustus. After he had heard about the Battle of Cameron, which had cost the lives of the Hero of Rota and his trusted student, Sir Francis felt that the people of Pewter City should be prepared in case anything like that ever happened again and had founded the Pewter City Pokémon Gym to train soldiers and their Pokémon.

For generations the Stones had ran the Pewter Gym, demonstrating the durability and strength of Rock Pokémon to Trainers and helping them overcome the odds. In wasn't until Lola Stone, Brock and Forrest's mother, married Flint that the reins were officially given to the Harrisons.

Seymour nodded. "Yes. Augustus Stone, son of Pewter City's Sir Francis Stone, famed blacksmith throughout the Northern Kanto Region...and your great-uncle by almost thirty generations, Brock."

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Forrest exclaimed.

"Oh you took the words right out of my mouth, Forrest." Lola said, looking down at her soon with just as much excitement. "There's always been so much mystery surrounding Augustus since he mysteriously disappeared after his wife's passing. For almost a thousand years my family has been trying to find hints or clues as to what had happened to him but so far no trace has ever been found."

"The people of Pewter City have also been searching for him, since they felt obligated by Sir Francis for protecting them and establishing the Pewter Gym. I knew it was important for your family so that's why I called your mother, Brock. She's the only person in Pewter who could positively identify whether the items found in the house actually belonged to Augustus or not."

"And I'm happy to say that they were." the female Harrison stated with pride.

The group eventually came to a door at the back of the building. "This is where all of the items we discovered are kept." Seymour said, pulling the key out from his coat pocket and soon opening the door, leading everyone inside. In front of them were two metal tables, one with several wooden tools, books, and pieces of clothing while the other had a variety of small arms and weapons. "As you can see, some of our staff have already begun to study, restore, and archive them before Mrs. Harrison had arrived."

"Woah!" Forrest exclaimed, approaching the table with weapons. His gaze instantly caught sight of a thin sword, the metal, although rusted with age, had several floral designs etched into it. "Look at this Brock: one of Augustus' swords!"

"Actually, dear, I don't think that sword belonged to him." When her son looked at her with a confused expression Lola explained, "According to my father and grandfather, Augustus wasn't much of a fighter and didn't like violence one bit. Though he was a blacksmith, crafting everything from horseshoes and nails to swords and shields, so that sword could have been meant for someone else."

"Well, you both are right...in a way." Seymour said, gaining everyone's attention. Walking over to the other table, and putting on a pair of gloves, Seymour gently picked up an old book and began to look through it before stopping on a certain page. "This is an old journal or diary that belong to the Stones. It's currently written in an ancient dialect but we've managed to translate some of it, including some information on that sword your interested in Forrest. According to the text, although Augustus didn't like violence he did construct that sword for his wife, Helena. I can't say if it was ever actually used but there's always the possibility."

"Ah…" Forrest nodded his head in understanding before looking back at the sword. While the sword may not have been used by Augustus, the fact that he made it for his wife and the possibility that she could have used it still made it pretty cool in his mind.

Brock smiled at his younger brother before looking at all the artifacts in front of him. To think that they once belonged to their missing ancestor was staggering. Despite it being almost a thousand years ago, the stories of Augustus and his mysterious disappearance are still mentioned within the family. In fact, he fondly remembered when his parents once told the story to his siblings and the youngest began speculating that maybe pirates had captured him and tried to put on a small performance to recreate the events, much to the amusement of everyone.

Suddenly, as he continued to look over the artifacts in front of him, a glint of light caught the corner of Brock's eyes. Looking to his right, Brock's gaze shifted from the artifacts towards another table not too far from them. On this table were several pieces of metal that were just as rusted and old as some of the items in front of them. "Say, Seymour, what's that over there?" he asked the scientist.

The scientist, looked in the direction Brock was looking at. "Oh, that's also something that we discovered in Augustus' workshop. They're pieces to a suit of armor that was probably designed by him."

"Really." Brock said, taking a closer look at the armor's chest piece. Although the rust made it difficult, he could make out the once-bright colorful outlines and the sun symbol in the center.

Observing the eldest Harrison child, Seymour placed his right hand under his chin in thought. "You know, since you're all here, perhaps you can help me with something."

This captured the Harrison's attention. "Help you? With what?"

"A bit of a mystery. Out of all of the items we discovered at Augustus' property that armor was the most secured—we found it locked in an old chest, an armada chest."

Flint's eyebrows rose at this. "An armada chest? Are you sure?"

"Believe _me_, it was an armada chest." Seymour stated.

"What's an 'armada chest', Dad?" asked Forrest.

"Sort of an old fashioned strong box, son." the boys' father explained. "It was typically made from either iron or steel and had very detailed designs all over it. But the biggest thing about these chests were the locking mechanism inside—it had multiple bolts that slipped under a metal lip, sort of like what you would find on a vault or safe door. In order to open the chest, a person had to have a key and know where the keyhole was."

"What do you mean, 'know where the keyhole was'?" Brock questioned.

It was Seymour who answered Brock's question. "Well, the boxes had a fake keyhole placed on the front of the chest to misdirect any thieves from getting into them. The actual keyholes to these boxes were usually hidden within the patterns or designs, so thieves wouldn't be able to open them."

"Armada boxes were sorta infamous among criminals. Should a thief ever happen to come across one they would usually have to either pry the whole chest apart or smash the lid off. Which was difficult, even if they had Fighting or Rock-type Pokémon and ordered them to get into it." Flint added, crossing his arms across his chest.

Both Harrison boys were surprised by both the information and their father's apparent knowledge. When asked how he knew about the chest, Flint explained that, when he left Pewter to become a Pokémon Trainer, he once visited an antique convention and meet someone who also had an armada chest and explained the history behind it.

Forrest, after hearing this, looked at the pieces of armor. "So, where's the chest that this armor was in?"

Seymour suddenly became very sheepish. "Well...funny story story: when we found the chest, we didn't exactly have the key to open it. One of our younger, more hot-headed employees decided to just manually open the thing with his Rhydon."

"Oh, brother," grunted Forrest, slapping his right palm against his forehead. Looking at the pieces of armor, a thought came to mind. "So, was the armor already in pieces when you found it or was this the aftermath of that idiot's Rhydon?"

Seymour didn't say anything and blushed with embarrassment, causing the entire group of Harrison's to sigh in exasperation.

Brock, deciding to ignore the issue for the moment, steered the conversation back to the armor. "So what was so special about this armor that it was locked inside of an armada chest?" he asked.

"That's the thing—we're not sure. Some of the scientists and historians think that the answer could be written inside one of these old books, but we've only just begun translating them. So far, we've managed to translate a few entries and even a poem from the thing but that's it." Seymour explained, once again holding his chin on top of his right palm.

The scientist's words caught the female Harrison's attention. "Poem?" Lola asked.

"Yeah. We managed to translate one of the pages in the notebook and it turned out to be a poem, of some sort."

Noticing his mother's face scrunching in confusion, Forrest asked his mother what was wrong, to which she replied saying that, as far as she knew, neither Augustus or Helena had any interest in poetry. "Mind you, he probably could write a poem if he wanted to, but still…"

His interest piqued, Brock asked the scientist if they could see the poem. Seymour agreed and picked up the book he had previously, skimming the pages until he came upon the page he was looking for. Gently laying the book open on the table, Seymour then grabbed a bright colored notebook and began to go through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "When we translate the text we write down those translations in this notebook for later studies. I already memorized some of it but in this case I'll read from the notebook. Now, this is a rough translation and the poem is a bit long and…"

"And what?" Brock asked.

"It's...a bit strange. I don't know if it's because of the translation or if your ancestors were experimenting with free-verse poetry." the scientist said before reading the translated text.

_To calm the anguish of a Pokémon of unusual origins._

_To bring harmony to Ice, Fire, and Lightning and return balance to the Beast of the Sea._

_To battle the Unknown and help guide a lost soul back to reality._

_To befriend and protect the Voice of the Forest._

_To assist the Guardians of the Soul Dew from those who would misuse it._

_To guard the Wish Maker and its home._

_To reunite two lost souls and enlighten the Sky High Pokémon._

_To cease the eternal conflict between Land and Sea._

_To heal the Tree of Beginning and its master, and help a confused hero learn the true meaning of friendship._

_To safeguard the Prince of the Sea, its home, and its treasure._

_To reveal the Nightmare's wishes and prevent the conflict of two Titans._

_To assist the garden's Protector and defend the Lord of the Reverse World._

_To uncover the truth behind the veil of deception and restore the Great Creator's faith in humanity._

_To free one whose soul has been trapped and proclaim Victory over two beings embodying Truth and Ideal._

_To teach a young soul the meaning of Justice and friendship._

_To ensure the safety of the sacred Melody and prevent the evil one from misusing the Forces of Nature._

_To protect the Jewel of the Diamond Domain from both humans and the forces of Destruction._

_To sooth the Unbound spirit of the Djinn and unleash its true power._

_To prevent the destruction of a kingdom, restore the Steam's faith in humanity, and reunite the heart of a Mechanical Beauty._

_To guard the Order Pokémon and lend it assistance to combat evil._

Everyone just looked at Seymour as he finished speaking. Brock, after hearing those words, crossed his arms and assumed a stoic demeanor, while both Flint and Lola looked at each other with confusion and worry.

It was Forrest who eventually pierced the silence. "What the heck kind of poem is that?" he asked.

* * *

**(Alolan Region, Melemele Island)**

On a sunny Saturday afternoon there are several different ways that the people on Melemele Island would spend their time. Some would go to the sandy beaches and cool off in the crystal clear waters, others would wander the city streets of Hau'oli City and experience all the city had to offer, and some would go explore the various jungles and mountainous trails that weaved throughout the entire island.

For Ash it was the perfect time to train with his Pokémon...with a little fun added to the mix.

"Alright guys: it's time for some serious training." Ash stated, his face stoic for a moment before he grinned and threw a water balloon high in the air. "Try and hit the target each time I throw it."

His Pokémon posed to strike, watching as the water-filled projectile flew in the air, and prepared to fire their attacks. Litten was the first to strike, her fur bristling, the Fire Cat Pokémon unleashed an Ember attack at the water balloon. The spread of the flammable projectiles made it made it easy to hit the flying object, striking the weak membrane until it popped in mid-air and the water splashed down to the ground.

"Awesome work Litten!" complimented Ash, reaching his right hand into a small bucket which he had filled with water balloons and picked up two more balloons. "Now let's see if the rest of you guys can hit these."

All of his Pokémon cried out, already poised to strike at a moments notice: Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he prepared to unleash a Thundershock, Litten's fur once again bristled with anticipation, Lycanroc had a white glow surrounding his body and prepared to launch his signature move, Accelerock; and Rowlet, who normally slept most of the time, was awake and ready to strike.

Hurling his balloons into the air Ash observed as his Pokémon unleashed their attacks, this time both Pikachu and Lycanroc managing to hit them. Looking at his Grass and Flying-type, he reassured his friend. "Don't worry Rowlet. I'm sure you'll hit the next ones."

As he and his Pokemon continued to train, Professor Kukui stood on his porch and watched the fifteen-year-old and his Pokémon, crossing his arms over his chest and smiled. While he has watched many Trainers in the past train their Pokémon, Ash always had a unique flare and style that was his, and his alone. No matter what the odds, no matter what disadvantage he might be at, Ash would _always _find a way to turn the tide to his favor, even using unconventional tactics to help him win.

As he watched the group train, the Alolan professor suddenly felt a presence next to him and looked to see who was next to him. Floating at the professor's eye-level, was the red form of the Rotom Pokédex, or "Rotom Dex" as it's commonly referred to as by everyone. "What do you think?" he asked the floating being.

The dual Electric and Ghost-type turned its screen towards the human. "Excuse me?"

"I've noticed how you've been watching them train. What do you think of them?" Professor Kukui asked.

"Well, it seems as though Ash is trying to get everyone to practice their reaction time by having them attack those water balloons as fast as possible." Rotom Dex stated.

"I know that," Professor Kukui said, raising an eyebrow. Rotom Dex always had a habit of speaking the obvious. "I was just wondering if you were thinking of perhaps joining them for a bit."

This caused Rotom Dex's eyes widen on its screen. "What?! Me participate in _training!_ Professor Kukui, no offense but I am not capable of battling like any of Ash's other Pokémon."

"Why not? You're a Rotom. You can fight just as well as Ash's Pokémon if you had the chance."

"Be that as it may, Professor Kukui, I feel more comfortable inside this Pokédex and scanning new Pokémon in my data banks than participate in a battle." Rotom Dex said.

Professor Kukui raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "Alright. I was just wondering."

Rotom Dex nodded its screen before turning back to observe his friends, while the Pokémon Professor sighed. The Plasma Pokémon was certainly a unique example of its species; instead of causing chaos and hopping between various electronic gadgets, Rotom Dex preferred to remain within the confines of the Pokédex cartridge and gather data. Looking at the floating Pokédex, Professor Kukui wondered if it was because Rotom felt more comfortable inside that form or if it had to do something with its history. _Still, I have a feeling that if anyone could get Rotom to participate in some training, at least, it would be Ash._ he thought, as he watched the young man and his Pokémon at work. _Afterall, if Ash could help Lillie with her fear of Pokémon than I'm sure he could help you as well._

Eventually Ash had ran out of water balloons and had everyone prepare for the next part of their training: running—or, in Rowlet's case, flying—a hundred yards across the beach and back as fast as they can. The Alolan native smiled as he watched Ash stand next to his friends, getting ready to race with them.

"Alright, you guys: when I say 'go' we race. Do the best you can—oh, and Pikachu, no Quick Attack." he add as an afterthought, causing Pikachu to nervously chuckle while the rest of their friends shared a smile. The Mouse Pokémon had accidently used the attack when he and his human partner had decided to race into Hau'oli City, over taking Ash by several yards before he had realized what he'd done. Since then, Ash has playfully teased his best friend everytime they do a race.

"On your mark, get set...go!" called out Ash.

Instantly everyone began racing across the sand. Within the first few seconds of the race Pikachu, Lycanroc, and Rowlet were already in the lead though both Ash and Litten were not too far behind them.

Smiling as he watched the young man and his family move across the sandy terrain, Professor Kukui noticed out of the corner of his right eye several figures approaching his cozy little home. Turning his head, his smile grew bigger when he realized that it was the rest of his class and their Pokémon approaching. "Well, afternoon everyone." he greeted cheerfully.

"Afternoon, Professor." his class said, smiling upon seeing their teacher.

"What brings you all to my humble home?" the Alolan professor asked, though he did have a few suspicions. Ash and the rest of his classmates always seemed to hang out whenever they could, searching or finding adventure wherever they go. He could still remember the hilarious tales both Ash and Rotom Dex would tell him at the end of each day: of helping Mallow search for a rare flower that only blooms on a specific part of the island, of the events that lead a Palossand to hug his home, and of the supposed "Master Fisherman" that both Ash and Lana meet while they were fishing for a Totem Pokémon on Akala Island.

It was Lana who answered the professor's question. "Oh, we were just coming over to see if Ash wanted to hang out with us at Mallow's restaurant for a mid-afternoon snack."

The green-haired girl amongst their group seemed excited. "Yeah. Both me and my Dad have been working on some new recipes in the kitchen and I wanted everyone to come over and try them first before we begin serving it to the public."

The Pokémon Professor chuckled. He already knew what Ash's response would be. The young Kanto native was never one to turn down food.

Just then everyone noticed Ash and his Pokémon racing towards them. The Pokémon Trainer had managed to keep up with his friends and was coming up behind them. Unfortunately for him, though, he was unable to keep up with the natural speed of his Pokémon and only managed to cross their makeshift finish line after both Pikachu and Lycanroc, respectively, with Litten and Rowlet following behind him.

However, in spite of his loss, he had a large smile on his face. "Good job, gang. That was some good running." he praised, evoking a smile on each of his Pokémons' faces. As he began to catch his breath, Ash noticed the large crowd off to the side. "Oh, hey guys! What's up?"

"We were just on our way to Mallow's restaurant to try some new food she and her father recently made." Lillie said. "Care to join us?"

"You bet!" cheered Ash, always excited when food is mentioned. Looking at his Pokémon he asked them if they wanted to come as well to which they all agreed. Nothing is better than eating after a hard day of training.

After recalling almost everyone to their Pokéballs and letting Pikachu climb up and rest upon his left shoulder, the group began making their way towards Aina's Kitchen. As they walked Mallow eagerly began telling everyone about all of the new foods that she and her father had made and which ones she really wanted to add to the menu.

"Dad seems to think that this new recipe for soup would be a great addition for our menu but I feel that our new recipe for tomato sauce could replace the one we currently use, especially once we add the right spices into it." Mallow stated.

Everyone else rolled their eyes and gave a small smile. Nothing seems to excite their friend more than talking about what was cooking at her family's restaurant.

It was while they were walking, smiling at their friend's enthusiasm, that Ash suddenly felt a weird sensation course through his entire body. He instantly stopped where he was and began looking around, much to the bewilderment of Pikachu.

His actions didn't go unnoticed as everyone else halted and looked at him with curious expressions. "Something wrong, Ash?" Sophocles asked, bewildered by his friend's actions. For as long as he's known Ash, he knew that his friend was never one to just stop suddenly unless it was for a good reason.

"You guys didn't feel that?" asked the Kanto native, still on high alert. Trusting his human partner, Pikachu instantly began scanning the area around them, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Feel what?" Kiawe questioned, wondering what caused the young man to suddenly react this way.

As he continued to look around, Ash felt the same sensation again. "Seriously, where's that coming from?!"

"Ash what's going on?" Lillie asked, concerned for her friend.

Just as Ash was about to speak, he happened to look up and notice something fall towards them. As it got closer his eyes widen with fear.

_A small bomb was heading straight towards them!_

Reacting quickly he surged forward and tackled everyone to the ground. "Get down!" he shouted, just as the projectile landed where he was standing. A few seconds later smoke filled the entire area.

"What's going on!?" Lillie fearfully asked, holding Snowy close to her chest.

"I can't see!" coughed Mallow.

While everyone was recovering from the shock, a robotic hand suddenly pierced the smoke and grabbed Pikachu, before lifting him up. Pikachu, realizing quickly what was going on shouted, "Pikapi!"

Getting over his shock, Ash immediately looked in the direction of his best friend's voice. "Pikachu!"

"Listen is that twerp's cry I hear?" a female voice called out.

"That seems to be loud and clear." followed a male voice.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

Looking up the group could see the people talking hovering over them in a hot air balloon that was in the shape of a Meowth's head. Standing within the basket were three individuals: a tall woman with magenta hair that was curled into a comet-tail, a blue-haired man who was the exact same height as the woman, and a Meowth. In the Scratch Cat Pokémon's paws was a device that was attach to the robotic hand that held Pikachu.

"Jessie!" the woman cried out.

"James!" the man called.

"And Meowth are the names!" said the Pokémon.

"Wherever there is peace in the universe…" continued Jessie.

"Team Rocket…" James sang.

"Will be there…" sneered Meowth.

"To make everything worse!" they finished.

Suddenly, popping up behind them, a blue Pokémon with its eyes closed appeared and saluted to its comrades. "Wobbuffet!"

"Team Rocket!" cried Ash and his friends..

"Ah! Now that was pure gold, James." the woman sighed.

"I heartily agree, Jess. One of our top ten best." James cheered.

Meowth nodded his head. "Amen to that! And it's better now that we finally have a certain Pikachu in our possession!"

"You no good crooks! Give me back Pikachu, right now!" Ash growled.

The trio pretended to think about it for a moment before snickering. "Sorry Twerp. Pikachu is now the sole property of Team Rocket and he's going to remain that way!" Jessie said with glee.

"Oh yeah, we'll just see about that. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Responding quick to his Trainer's orders, the Mouse Pokémon unleashed a large bolt of electricity, intending to fry the device holding him, but the attack seemed to have no effect.

Meowth snickered at his opponent's attempt. "You Twerps think we haven't thought of that? We made certain that this little gizmo was completely impervious to Pikachu's Electric attacks."

"Really?" Lillie said, glaring at the three Pokémon thieves. "Well, in that case: Snowy, use Powder Snow!"

The white Fox Pokémon nodded before blowing a amount of icy wind and snow at the crooks. However, just as the attacked seemed to reach them, the bottom of the basket opened up and arm with a metal dish came out. As the attack struck the dish the powerful, icy gale was all of a sudden redirected back towards Snowy. The Ice-type yelped in surprise and fright before she was hit by her own attack, the force of the blow knocking her back towards her Trainer's feet.

"Snowy!" Lillie cried out, quickly kneeling down to check on her friend.

James chortled with triumph. "As you can see we managed to prepare ahead this time. This little device is capable of deflecting any attack your twerpish Pokémon can throw at us and sending it back with nearly double the power." he said.

"Yep. So hit us with your best shot!" Meowth teased, grinning with satisfaction. After so long, they were so close to accomplishing their original goal of nabbing Pikachu.

Everyone glared at their opponents; Ash growled as he tried to quickly think of a way to beat Team Rocket and get his buddy back.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the same feeling that has already struck him twice. However, this time, the feeling was even stronger than the last two and seemed to reflect his emotions strongly. "What the—"

As the trio of Pokémon thieves laughed with glee at the twerps' inability to strike them, a blue ball of energy suddenly shot from the trees and headed straight for the balloon. Jessie was the first to notice it. "Huh? Uh-oh, lookout!"

Her partners looked to see the speeding ball of energy head straight towards them. "Quick, Meowth!" order James.

"Roger!" the Scratch Cat said, hitting a single button on the device that held Pikachu.

The dish underneath Team Rocket's balloon quickly intercepted the attack before shooting it right back towards the direction it had came from, it's velocity nearly twice as fast than before. As everyone watched the speeding blue ball, a figure burst from the shrubs and was heading straight towards the sphere.

Everyone gasped as they watched the figure pulled back its right appendage mid-flight before a yellow aura surrounded it and then striking the speeding blue ball, resulting in a small explosion. As everyone shielded their eyes from the bright flash of light, they witnessed the blue sphere rocketing back at Team Rocket, so fast that it struck the center of their balloon.

As the Pokémon thieves balloon began to fall Meowth inadvertently released their prisoner from his binds. The instant he was free, Pikachu quickly jumped away from the balloon in the direction of his friend.

Ash, witnessing the entire event, ran as fast as his legs could towards Pikachu. "Hang on, Pikachu!" he called, jumping the final few feet and managing to safely catch his partner. After a slightly rough landing, the young man quickly looked down at his friend. "Are you okay, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" was the Electric-type's reply, happy to be reunited with his friend again.

Ash gave a relieved smile and was about to say more when Jessie's voice pierced the air. "The nerve! Striking our balloon like that!" Looking in the direction of her voice, Ash notice that the trio had crash landed only a few yards from them.

Standing on their basket, Meowth teeth meshed together in frustration. "Yeah! You guys are going to pay!"

"Dearly!" James called out, pulling a Pokéball out of his pocket he summoned his Mareanie. The female Poison and Water-type quickly turned around and made for her Trainer, intending to affectionately wrap his head in her tentacles, when the blue-haired man grabbed her. "Sorry but there's a time and place for everything and now is certainly _not_ one of those times!" he said.

As Jessie had called out her Mimikyu, Ash released Pikachu from his grip and both of them glared at the three and their Pokémon. "Ready Pikachu?"

"Pi-ka!" the Mouse Pokémon stated, his cheeks sparking with aggression.

"Mimikyu nail that Twerp and his Pikachu with your Shadow Claw!" ordered Jessie.

"Mareanie, Sludge Bomb!" commanded James.

Both Pokémon began racing towards Pikachu, their attacks forming as they ran. Both Ash and Pikachu waited as they got closer with their attacks when the same figure that leaped out of the trees jumped in front of them. Glaring at Team Rocket's Pokémon, the Pokémon's right eye twinkled before its entire body was coated in a dark-purple aura of light. Suddenly, its right paw turned black with a dark-purple outline and then transformed into a large claw, similar to Mimikyu's Shadow Claw.

Pulling back its right paw, the Pokémon intercepted both of its opponents and struck them with its attack. The blow was so powerful that it sent both Mareanie and Mimikyu hurtling straight back to their now-terrified Trainers.

Reacting fast, Ash called out to Pikachu, "Alright, buddy, send these guys flying with a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu nodded his head before charging straight towards Team Rocket and unleashing a devastating bolt of electricity at the group of Pokémon thieves. Shrieking in horror, the two humans and their Pokémon felt the lightning course through their bodies before the electricity struck their balloon's propane tank and exploded around Team Rocket, sending them hurtling in the air.

"Unbelievable! I don't remember _that _being in the script?!" screeched Jessie.

"Seriously, who invited that Pokémon to the Alolan party!" James cried.

"Perhaps it's time our people meet with those chumpy writers and teach them a lesson for making these changes to the program without tellin' us!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Wobbuffet!" their companion stated.

"We're blasting off again!" they chorused. Suddenly, a Bewear had rose up and caught the flying members of Team Rocket. However, as it started to descend downward, the figure helping Ash and Pikachu saw this and raised its right hand towards them. A small ball of blue energy formed instantly in its hands before the Pokémon released it at the Strong Arm Pokémon, sending both her and Team Rocket back into the air.

After watching the thieves disappear in a twinkle of light, everyone look to see the mysterious Pokémon that helped safe Pikachu. However, none were more surprised by the Pokémon's appearance than both Ash and Pikachu.

Because they _knew_ this Pokémon.

Ash was the first to speak. "Riolu?"

The Emanation Pokémon looked up at the Kanto native and gave him the biggest smile he could give. "Ri! Ri! Lu!"

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Unknown to the group, their skirmish with Team Rocket was not a private affair. Hiding behind the shadows in the forest, a strange group of people watched the entire event. Dressed in punk attire with bandanas on top of their heads that possessed a skull motif and masks over their mouths, the group consisted of a skinny light blue-haired male, a rotund brown-haired male, and a pink-haired female a few inches shorter than the blue-haired individual.

"Did you guys see what I just saw?" the blue-haired male asked.

"Sure did, Tupp." Their rotund companion then looked towards the lone female of the group. "What about you Rapp?"

Rapp nodded her head. "Saw it with my own two eyes, Zipp. That little blue mongrel took down those chumps like they were nothing."

"Yeah, and that little bugger's Pikachu wasn't half bad either." Zipp said.

"Say, yo," Rapp stated, looking at both the Trainer and his Pikachu. "Isn't that the square that sent us packing after we tried to clip them Tauros that one time?"

"It is." Tupp said, assuming the role of group leader. "And that little bugger has quite the score of unique Pokémon. We clip them from him and give 'em to the boss then the boss would be thrilled with us."

"Maybe he would even buy us some new uniforms?" Zipp exclaimed with excitement.

Tupp just nodded his head and crossed his arms. "Alright, here's the deal: we follow that bugger and his friends and then strike 'em when they least expect it. And in the midst of the confusion we clip every one of the bugger's Pokémon. Then we give 'em to Guzma and we can say 'Hello!' to instant respect!"

"I'm game," Rapp stated.

"Count me in on some action." Zipp said.

Tupp nodded and, like phantoms, the three disappeared amongst the shadows with malicious intent towards the young Kanto native and his friends.

* * *

**Hello, fellow fanfic writers and readers. Here's another amazing chapter delivered by yours truly. I hope that you like it and please give me your response on it.**

**Sincerely Yours,**

**Trainman-Captain Writer**


	3. Chapter 2: Unexpected Reunions

**Pokémon: The Chosen Chronicles**

Authors Note: unfortunately, I do not own the rights or title to Pokémon.

* * *

_Chapter 2: Unexpected Reunions_

"So...what's the story with this little guy, Ash?" Mallow asked, her eyes focusing on Riolu as he happily ate the food she prepared.

After their encounter with Team Rocket, the Alolan natives attempted to question their friend about how he knew the small Fighting-type but were interrupted by Ash, Pikachu, _and _Riolu's stomachs growling and it was decided that their questions could wait until they reached Aina's Kitchen and ate.

Now, as everyone ate their food, everyone's attention was turned back towards the blue canine that sat on the table, eating a second helping of the Pokémon food that Mallow had prepared for him. Ash's friends could hardly believe the Fighting-type's appetite; he had already consumed a large bowl of food and was half-way from finishing his second meal with no signs of slowing down.

"Well...it's kind of a long story." Ash stated, him and Pikachu never taking their eyes of the Emanation Pokémon.

Taking note of his friend's tone, Sophocles decided to ask him a different question. "So, that's a Riolu?" As both the Kanto native and his partner nodded, the rotund inventor smiled a bit. "I've only read about them in a few books and even seen one on TV. I have to say, it's pretty cool being this close to one."

Ash and Pikachu smiled at their friend's words before they were startled by the sudden appearance of Rotom Dex randomly snapping pictures of the small canine with incredible speed. After it had taken several photos, the Plasma Pokémon's screen quickly changed from its blue and white background to its Pokédex-mode, showcasing its newest entry.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. The pre-evolved form of Lucario. Using its Aura, this Pokémon can sense the physical and emotional states of people, Pokémon, and its surroundings through the waves of Aura they emit." Rotom Dex stated.

"Aura? What's that?" asked Kiawe.

Surprisingly, it was Ash who answered the question. "It's kind of the energy that resides in all living creatures—flowers, trees, Pokémon, even in humans."

While both Ash and Pikachu continue to watch the small, blue Pokémon, everyone else looked at each other with surprise. This was the second time in two days that the young Kanto native had demonstrated his knowledge regarding Pokémon. While they knew that he has been travelling for a long time and has probably more experience than all of them combined, they were not used to him being so knowledgeable.

"So all those attacks...was just Riolu using its Aura?" Lana inquired.

Ash shook his head. "Not all of them. Just his Aura Sphere. I'm pretty confident that those other attacks that Riolu used were Force Palm and Copycat."

Lillie looked at her friend with curiosity, while absentmindedly petting Snowy's head. "Aura Sphere?" Suddenly, realization struck her. "Wait you mean that blue ball of energy?"

Both Ash and Pikachu nodded their heads. However, before she could ask anything else Rotom Dex floated in front of them with a look of disbelief. "But according to my databanks Riolu shouldn't be able to use Aura Sphere until they evolved into a Lucario."

"Really?" Both Lana and Mallow asked, as the Alolan natives all looked at the Emanation Pokémon, who was almost finished eating his food, with surprise.

"You're not wrong, Rotom." admitted the young man from Pallet Town. "Usually Riolu are suppose to evolve before they could use Aura Sphere. However,"—looking at the blue Pokémon with a nostalgic smile—"this little guy is pretty much the exception to the rule."

Hearing the Kanto natives words the blue Fighting-type beamed with pride. "Ri Ri!" He cheered before going back to his food.

Both Ash and Pikachu smiled at their old friend before their faces fell a bit. "Still, why are you all the way here in Alola Riolu? Shouldn't you be back at the Lucario Kingdom?"

"Pika?" agreed his Electric-type, looking at Riolu.

_This_ caught the attention of everyone. "Lucario Kingdom?"

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah. It's one of the oldest locations in the Sinnoh Region, dating back to over a thousand years ago. At its height, the Lucario Kingdom was were many famed Aura Guardians and Knights were trained alongside their partner Pokémon, which was usually either a Riolu or a Lucario. Although, now, there are hardly any Aura Guardians around, the Lucario Kingdom still train Riolu and Lucario to be part of the kingdom's security."

Hearing this, Lillie looked at the small canine with awe."So this Riolu…"

"Is one of the Pokémon training to become a guardian in the Lucario Kingdom." he confirmed.

"So how did Riolu get from there all the way here, then?" Kiawe questioned.

Before Ash opened his mouth, the blue Pokémon had finally finished his meal. Pushing his bowl away, the Fighting-type briefly sighed with satisfaction before jumping to his feet and moved in front of Pikachu. Both he and the Mouse Pokémon began to have an in-depth conversation with Riolu making a few gestures with his paws. After a few minutes Pikachu turned towards Ash and began to chatter rapidly, gesturing to the Emanation Pokémon, and than, to the Alolans' surprise, puffing itself like a balloon. Ash nodded his head twice before looking at his friend with surprise, "Really?"

"Pi." the Electric rodent nodded, relaxing his puffed appearance.

"What's Pikachu trying to say?" Lana asked.

Rotom Dex floated down towards her and smiled. "Allow me, Lana," Instantly his screen changed into a loading screen, the loading circle in the center of the screen counting up rapidly to one hundred. Eventually Rotom Dex announced, "Analysis complete." as the numbers blinked on the screen.

"So…"

Rotom Dex's face quickly replaced the loading screen and it smiled at everyone. "After analyzing both Pikachu's and Riolu's conversation, I have deduced that Riolu ran and then swam all the way from the Lucario Kingdom to get here."

Everyone stared at the floating Electric and Ghost-type before a series of sweat-drops began forming on their foreheads.

"Yeah...I don't think that's completely accurate." commented the Water-type Trainer.

However, before anyone could say anything else, Ash interrupted. "Well, actually, Rotom Dex is partially right."

As everyone's eyes turned towards his direction Ash explained: according to Pikachu, Riolu had traveled across the entire Sinnoh Region on his own until it finally reach Twinleaf Town. After resting for a brief period, the Fighting-type found a ship that was heading towards the Alolan Region and hid in a small crate that had been loaded onboard before it had left port. However, during his voyage, the ship had gotten caught in a storm and the crate Riolu used for cover fell overboard and he was lost at sea.

"So how did Riolu manage to get here?" Sophocles wondered, captivated by the tale.

"Pikachu says that a Wailmer was passing by and that Riolu had managed to hail it. After being rescued, Riolu asked Wailmer to help him get here and they began to journey across the ocean until both of them were within swimming distance of the Melemele's coastline. However, just before Wailer could drop Riolu off at the shore, some of its friends came and told them that it was time for Wailmer to go home. So Riolu, after thanking Wailmer, decided to swim the rest of the distance to Melemele until it finally made it to one of the beaches." Looking down at his partner, Ash asked Pikachu, "Is that about right, buddy?"

"Pika." the Mouse Pokémon confirmed with a nod.

"That's amazing." Mallow said as everyone looked at Riolu. The blue Pokémon felt a bit uneasy about all the attention he was getting and quickly hid behind Pikachu in an effort to shield himself from their gazes.

"Hey, it's okay Riolu. These guys are my friends." Ash assured with Pikachu also adding in his own reassurances to their friend. The small Pokémon looked at both Ash and Pikachu for a moment before slightly relaxing and choose to accept their words.

"Ri Ri!" he greeted, giving everyone a small smile.

"Oh!" Gushed the girls, falling in love with the little Fighting-type. The guys rolled their eyes at the girls actions but did smile when Riolu seemed to appreciate their affection.

Ash chuckled at his friends' reactions before his face became stoic. "Seriously, though, why are you here Riolu?" When the Emanation Pokémon looked up at him the fifteen-year-old asked with concern, "Did anything happen at the Lucario Kingdom?"

To the Kanto native's surprise, the Fighting-type shook his head and his expression became one of frustration, crossing his blue arms across his chest. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Riolu looked at the young man for a moment before looking away, a soft "Ri." barely escaping his lips.

This caused Ash to look at the small jackal-like Pokémon with concern. "Something _did_ happen, huh?"

Riolu didn't say anything and continued to cross his arms while looking conflicted between frustration and sadness.

Realizing that his friend wasn't going to explain himself, Ash shared a look with Pikachu, who understood perfectly what his Trainer was thinking and nodded his head. Getting out of his seat he turned looked to Mallow. "Can I use your phone, Mallow?" he asked her.

Mallow nodded her head and directed him to where the restaurants phone was located. After thanking her, Ash pulled the receiver off the hook and dialed a number. Everyone listened as he spoke to the operator, "Hi. I'd like to place a long-distance phone call, please. Yes, I'll accept the charges."

"I wonder who he's calling?" Kiawe wondered, looking back at the small Fighting-type who now had a look of worry on his face.

Lillie hummed in agreement, as everyone watched Pikachu trying to talk to Riolu though the Riolu seemed reluctant to say anything to the Mouse Pokémon at the moment.

After giving them the necessary information, Ash waited a few seconds as a connection was established and a blue-haired woman, who appeared to be two years older than him, appeared on screen. He gave her a friendly smile. "Hey Solana. Long time no see!"

Solana Moralis beamed when she saw the young-man. "Well, if it isn't the future Pokémon Master. How's it going Ash?"

"Everything's been great. I've been on tons of adventures since the last time we spoke and now I'm in the Alola Region." replied Ash.

The female Pokémon Ranger was impressed. "You've just been all over the place, haven't you."

"I guess you can say that." the young man from Kanto said with a chuckle.

"So what's going on Ash?" Solana asked.

_Typical Solana,_ Ash internally mused as his expression became serious. _always straight to the point._ "I...something's come up recently and I wanted to check to see if you might know something about it." he explained.

Solana looked at him for a moment. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain incident in Sinnoh would it?" Though, from the way it sounded, she already suspected.

Ash gave the Pokémon Ranger a look. "So you know?"

The blue-haired woman nodded at the black-haired youth. "Yeah. We got the call from the Lucario Kingdom two weeks ago. I'm assuming Riolu is with you?"

"He just finished eating a second bowl of Pokémon food," Ash confirmed.

"Damn!" Solana cursed, catching Ash off-guard. "I was hoping we wouldn't get this call."

"What do you mean, Solana? Why did Riolu come all the way out here?"

"Ash...things have changed in the Lucario Kingdom since you last saw it. Riolu's caretaker, Mr. DiNozzo, passed away two months ago."

This shocked Ash, who quietly muttered, "What?"

"He was sleeping outside his home when he got a heart-attack and never woke up. Riolu was the one who discovered him and alerted the people at the hospital. The Kingdom's coroner said that it was so quick that Mr. DiNozzo didn't even feel a thing when it happened."

"Arceus…"

"There's...more." Solana said, which Ash noticed was more strangled, as if she was struggling with the words. "Because of Mr. DiNozzo's...the royals of the Lucario Kingdom decreed that Riolu would have a new caretaker but Riolu was against it. At first, they thought he was just stricken with grief and held off finding a caretaker for a month to give him time to recover."

"But he didn't." Ash deduced, glancing back towards where the Fighting-type was.

However, Solana's next words surprised him. "Well, yes and no. You see Riolu was doing fine before a new caretaker was selected, or at least as fine as he could be. But when the new caretaker came Riolu lashed out. He didn't listen to anything his caretaker said, refused to join the other Riolu and Lucario during their lessons, and spent the majority of his time at the training grounds. Nobody knew what had gotten into Riolu and the caretaker was beyond frustrated with Riolu's behavior. And then, two weeks ago, during the night, Riolu vanished. Everyone in the Lucario Kingdom looked for him but they couldn't find a trace. That's when they sent the call to the Pokémon Rangers."

"Oh Riolu…" groaned the young man from Pallet town. He understood now why Riolu acted the way he did. The pain of losing someone so close to you, someone that Riolu considered a father-figure…

It was a pain Ash was all too familiar with.

"The Ranger Union assigned both me and Kellyn to investigate, seeing as we helped recover Riolu previously. When we got the full story from the royals, the both of us already had our suspicions."

"Suspicions?"

Solana nodded, her eyes conveying the message that what she was about to say was important. Ash waited until she spoke again:

"Ash, we believe that Riolu ran away from the Kingdom to find you."

"What?" Ash asked, shocked by the blue-haired female's words. "Why me?"

"It's a bit complicated and Kellyn is probably more capable of explaining things to you. But the fact is, now that you called us, we have no choice but to fly down to Alola and retrieve Riolu for the Kingdom." she said, her tone becoming more depressed.

"Solana…"

"Look, Ash, I don't like it either. But we have a duty to uphold as Pokémon Rangers. Just...take care of Riolu until we get there." Solana said. They exchanged a few more words before they both hung up.

Ash couldn't help but sigh as he placed the receiver back on the hook. How in the world is he going to explain this to his friends? And Riolu? "Arceus, why do things like this always happen with me?" he muttered.

As he approached their table Ash took a moment to observe Riolu. The blue Pokémon stood next to Pikachu as the Electric-type introduced him to their friends and their Pokémon. The fifteen-year-old couldn't help but smile when he saw Riolu's face light up as everyone greeted him, though it vanished as he made his way towards the group.

Lana was the first to notice him. "So who was that, Ash?" she asked.

"That was Solana, a friend of mine that I meet while I traveled across Kanto competing in the Battle Frontier." Ash revealed, He looked down and noticed that Riolu became very tense and was trying very hard to look everywhere but in Ash's direction. _Guess he remembers Solana._ Ash thought, feeling sad for Riolu.

Looking at the young man from Pallet Town, Sophocles shot him a confused look. "But I thought you said you met Riolu in Sinnoh?"

"I did." Ash confirmed, before saying, "Solana was there when me and my friends first met Riolu and helped get him home safely. I figured that she might tell me why Riolu was here in the first place. Turns out I was right."

"So, why is Riolu here?" Kiawe asked, noticing the Emanation Pokémon was trying to once again hide himself behind Pikachu.

Ash gave the small jackal a comforting look before he told them what he had learned from Solana. The humans and Pokémon were sad to hear that Riolu's caretaker had passed away and offered their condolences to Riolu who, after a moment's hesitation, accepted them.

After hearing this explanation, Rotom Dex looked at Ash. "So Riolu was trying to find you?"

"That's what Solana believes." Ash confirmed.

"And now that she knows Riolu is here...she's going to try and take him back to the Kingdom?" Lillie asked.

"I'm afraid so."

Hearing this, Riolu jumped from behind Pikachu and quickly shook his head to say "no".

"Riolu…" However, the Emanation Pokémon surprised everyone when he quickly jumped off the table and ran towards the back of the kitchen. Ash sighed at Riolu's actions before he looked towards Pikachu. Understanding his Trainer, the Mouse hopped off the table as well and began searching for Riolu. Taking his seat at the table Ash muttered, "Man, what am I gonna do?"

Nobody could offer the young man any advice.

However, before anyone could say anything, the quiet of the restaurant was pierced a sudden explosion that rocked the building on its foundations. Everyone screamed as the shockwaves hit the building, the entire area shaking as if a miniature earthquake had hit.

Thirty seconds later the shockwaves began to lessen until they completely died down. As everyone recovered from the experience the group heard somebody shout, "Yo, you little pipsqueaks! We know you're in there! Come on out, unless you want us to shake that building off of its foundations!"

Looking through the window Mallow saw three people outside surrounded by a Zubat, a Salandit, and a Garbodor. She gasped as she recognized the three instantly. "Oh no, it's those Team Skull bullies from before."

"What?!" said Ash as he peered out the window to see. "What are they doing here?"

Before any of them could say anything they heard Tupp announce that unless Ash and his friends came out that instant they would order their Pokémon to attack the restaurant again. Realizing that they had no choice the group cautiously walked out of the restaurant. As he looked at the three Team Skull members Ash vaguely remembered their names as Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp.

When they got out Ash got straight to the point. "Alright, why are you guys here?"

"Yo, isn't obvious?" retorted Tupp sarcastically. "We're here for your little Pikachu and that blue mongrel."

"Yeah, we saw them when they were facing those three chumps and we just knew we had to get 'em." Zipp said.

"So hand 'em over or else you three will be sorry." Rapp threatened, placing her hands on her hips.

"What did you say?" roared Ash.

"You heard us. Hand over the Pokémon or else." threatened Tupp.

Rage began to boil inside Ash. It was one thing for Team Rocket to try and steal their Pokémon but the fact that these three actually _threatened _ them with the intent to bring bodily harm…

Before he or any of his friends could act the air was suddenly filled with a pair of shouts followed by the forms of both Pikachu and Riolu standing in front of Ash. It was clear on their faces that they were not happy with the three grunts' appearance as they poised for battle.

Ash was surprised by their actions for a second before his gaze meet both Pokémons eyes and saw the strength in both of them. Smiling briefly to his two friends the young man's face hardened as he looked up towards their aggressors. "You want them, you'll have to fight us then." hissed the Kanto native.

"Pika!"

"Ri-lu!"

"I was hoping you would say that." sneered Tup before ordering their Pokémon to prepare for battle.

"Hey Ash," Looking to his right, Ash saw Mallow walk up until she stood next to him. "Mind if I get in on this? Me and Steenee want to teach these guys what happens when people threaten to level our family's restaurant."

"Stee!" the Fruit Pokémon called out, standing alongside Pikachu and Riolu while glaring at the three humans and their Pokémon. If they thought they could come and threaten her home and her friends than those guys had another thing coming!

It was a question hardly worth asking to Ash. "Sure thing, Mallow." he said before facing the trio.

Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp were momentarily stunned by their actions before they shrugged their shoulders. "Fine by us!" Rapp said.

"Yeah! Team Skulls' never backed down from a challenge." shouted Zipp, a sentiment Tupp agreed with.

Deciding to go first, the group of thugs ordered their Pokémon to attack, with Salandit using Flame Burst while both Zubat and Garbodor fired their Toxic attacks.

"Dodge it!" ordered both Trainers. Pikachu, Riolu, and Steenee jumped just before any of the attacks grazed them. As the three Pokémon landed Mallow told her partner to use Magical Leaf on Garbodor while Ash commanded Pikachu to use Thundershock on Zubat and Riolu to hit Salandit with an Aura Sphere. Despite the terrible trio's commands to dodge, only Salandit managed to evade the incoming attack as both Garbodor and Zubat were struck by the barrage of glowling leaves and electricity.

As the Bat and Trash Heap Pokémon began to recover from the ordeal Tupp glared at the two Trainers and three small Pokémon. "You punks might've gotten lucky but your luck just ran out! Salandit, use Venoshock."

"Zubat, use Air Cutter." ordered Rapp.

"Garbodor, use Sludge Bomb." said Zipp.

As both Garbodor and Salandit prepared their Poison-type attacks and Zubat's wings began to glow, signaling the upcoming Air Cutter, Ash looked at his partner and Riolu before shouting, "Pikachu, dodge and use Iron Tail. Riolu, jump back and use Copycat on Pikachu."

The Emanation Pokémon looked confused for a moment before his red eyes widen with understanding. As both Pokémon jumped away from the incoming attacks, Pikachu's tail took on a bright sheen while Riolu's body became surrounded by a silver aura before his tail gained the same metal appearance as the Mouse Pokémon's.

Exactly as Ash planned. "Now both of you use Iron Tail!" Pikachu and Riolu acknowledged the young man's words before throwing their hardened tails into the sides of both Garbodor and Salandit. The two Pokémon howled in pain as they stumbled backwards from the blow.

"Ahh!" cried the two male grunts in surprise. Normally Steel-type moves had almost no effect against pure Poison-types like Garbodor or even a partial Poison-type like Salandit. Yet, somehow, those two Pokémon managed to inflict damage on their Pokémon and even had enough strength to push them back a bit.

Rapp was just as shocked as her partners but her attention was diverted when she heard Mallow order Steenee to use Double Slap on her Zubat. Unfortunately for the female grunt, before she could utter a single word, the Fruit Pokémon had leaped up towards the blue bat and used her sepals to repeatedly strike her opponent. The Bat Pokémon shrieked in pain before Steenee's final blow sent it flying back towards her teammates.

Before the trio of troublemakers could collect themselves, Ash decided that now was a good time to finish this battle. "Pikachu," he said. When the Mouse Pokémon looked up towards his best friend, the fifteen-year-old simply stated, "Let's finish this."

Nodding in understanding Pikachu quickly stood in front of his Trainer. Holding out his left wrist to show his Z-Ring with the Electrium Z in the slot, both human and Pokémon began to move in sync while the crystal began illuminate. "Alright buddy?" Ash asked in the midst of the ritual.

The yellow rodent-like Pokémon nodded his head, never faltering as he and his friend continued to move as one.

"Alright then." As if signaled by the young man's words, the light from the Electrium Z jumped from the crystal to Pikachu, creating a bright yellow outline around the Mouse for a second before dissipating. "Here we go, buddy! Full power!" Ash said.

Pikachu gave no reply, following his Trainer's movements and pulled back a fist. As he swung a large ball of yellow electricity instantly formed on the Pokémon's knuckles before the Mouse struck the ball. The attack shot instantly towards the Team Skull's Pokémon, striking them before the entire area was engulfed in a large explosion of smoke and electricity. The force of the explosion was so powerful that the shockwaves almost knocked both Riolu and Ash off their feet.

As the smoke began to fade everyone could see that all three of Team Skull's Pokémon were knocked unconscious.

"Ah man...I hate those freakin' Z-moves." Tupp muttered, as both Zipp and Rapp recalled their Pokémon, before recalling his Salandit.

"Yeah." agreed Zipp, still reeling from the battle's outcome.

Rapp cringed angrily before glaring at Ash and his friends. "You might've won this time, punk, but Team Skull's never going to forget this. Just wait—next time you see us we will destroy you and clip your Pikachu and that little blue mongrel for Team Skull!"

"But for now…" said Zipp.

"We're outta here." finished Tupp before him and his teammates fled the area.

As everyone watched the creeps flee, Ash looked down at the two Pokémon in front of him and gave them a triumphant grin. "You guys were awesome!" proclaimed Ash, kneeling down to embrace Pikachu and Riolu, both of whom also sported grins on their faces as well.

The group of teens and their Pokémon smiled as they watched the interaction between the Kanto native and the Pokémon. It was always good to see Ash get along so well with Pokémon and they could see why Riolu sought him out. The thought reminded them of what Ash had told them about Riolu's presence and for a moment their smiles dropped.

What was going to happen if the Pokémon Ranger that Ash called arrived and tried to take Riolu back to the Lucario Kingdom? Would it run away and try to reunite with Ash again? And what were Ash's thoughts on this? Would he try to get Riolu to go back home to the Lucario Kingdom or does he wish for the Emanation Pokémon to remain with him?

However, for the moment, they decided not to voice the issue. For now, they looked at the young man and the Pokémon in his arms with a sad smile, while silently praying to Arceus that everything will be alright.

* * *

"Argh! I can't believe those chumps managed to beat us _again!_" snapped Rapp.

"Yo, Rapp, c'mon give it a rest, will ya." Zipp said, annoyed by his friend's ranting.

However, this caused his female companion to glare at him. Startled, the rotund teen stopped in his tracks and feared what she might do. To his relief, though, she huffed before turning her attention back towards the trail, grumbling in low tones.

Leading the small group, Tupp ignored the two's antics. While he was just as mad at having lost to those teens from the Pokémon School, it would do them no good arguing over what they could've done better and crying over their loss.

Twenty minutes later they approached a small clearing hidden deep in the woods. In the center stood an old shed that had been seriously neglected. Paint peeled off the sides, one of the windows was broken and, and weeds grew all along the foundations.

"Ah, home sweet home." Tupp said opening the front door, which looked just as worn and neglected as the rest of the building. As his compatriots followed him inside, the blue-haired youth spoke to them. "Yo, Zipp, get us a couple of drinks from the fridge. And don't worry, Rapp, we'll beat those little squirts and clip that square's Pokémon. Then, Guzma will be happy with us."

It was at that moment, though, that a voice not belonging to any of them spoke. "Oh, really…"

Startled, the three teens turned towards the battered couch that was seated in front of the old TV. Sitting on the piece of furniture was a man in his late thirties with white hair, dark eyes and black eyebrows. He wore a black jacket, which had a zigzag pattern on both sides of his jacket and Team Skull's symbol on the back, over a white shirt, a pair of black jeans with a pair of white X's just underneath his knees, and a pair of white shoes. Holding the TV remote in his left hand, the trio of troublemakers could see a purple tattoo in the shape of Team Skull's symbol on his forearm and a gold watch wrapped around his wrist. On his other wrist was a pair of black and white bracelets. However, the most striking thing about the man was the pair of glasses that rested on top of his forehead—dark lens trapped in gold frames, though the left frame had a serious dent in it—and the large, gold chain that held a locket made to resemble Team Skull's logo.

The three Skull grunts gasped in shock. Sitting in front of them, flipping through channels on their TV, was the none other than the infamous founder and leader of Team Skull—Guzma.

Looking up from his position, the man looked at the three low-level members of his group. "So tell me, my brothers and sister, what type of Pokémon were you gonna swipe for big bad Guzma?" he asked, giving them a crazed smile that sent shivers down their spines.

* * *

**Hey guys, long time no see—or in this case, write. Sorry I haven't updated anything since March. Been busy with trying to get a new job. It's been difficult, but I am now on the threshold of getting a new job. Cross your fingers. I know I will.**

**Anyway, I'll try to keep up with the updates but it might take a while. We'll see what happens.**

**Also, just a heads up, I also started a new story called "Redemption: Episode 1". It's a story based on Rockstar Games **_**Red Dead Redemption II**_**. Any fans of the game should check it out. I plan on updating that one by the end of this week.**

**Thank you and I hope you all have a pleasant evening, or day depending on where you're at in the world.**

****Trainman-Captain Writer****


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